Center plate assembly

ABSTRACT

STRUCTURE SURROUNDING THE KING PIN OF A RAILWAY VEHICLE SUPPORTING AN END OF THE CAR BODY ON A TRUCK BOLSTER AND ACCOMMODATING RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE TRUCK BOLSTER RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE BODY. THE STRUCTURE INSURES PROLONGED LUBRICATION OF THE CENTER PLATE ASSEMBLY AND THE STRUCTURAL ARRANGEMENT REDUCES RELATIVE LATERAL AND LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTS OF THE INTERFITTING PLATES AND REDUCES SHOCK THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE TRANSMITTED TO THE BEARINGS, WHEELS AND THE TRACK.

May 29, 1913 Original Filed July 8, 1968 c. w. ARTZER CENTER PLATEASSEMBLY 2 Shams-Sha t 1 F/GZ INVENTORS CHARLES WARTZER ALEXANDER M.DIG/C00 BY e ATTORNEY May 29, 1973 c, w, ARTZER E'T'AL Re. 27,651

CENTER PLATE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed July 8, 1968 f I]//////////I/A/ United States Patent Ofice Re. 27,651 Reissued May 29,1973 27,651 CENTER PLATE ASSEMBLY Charles W. Artzer, 631 Freeman St.66616, and Alexander M. Di Cicco, 1120 W. 31st St. 66611, both ofTopeka, Kans.

Original No. 3,510,180, dated May 5, 1970, Ser. No. 743,097, July 8,1968. Application for reissue Oct. 19, 1971, Ser. No. 190,542

Int. Cl. F16c 17/00 US. Cl. 308-137 Matter enclosed in heavy bracketsappears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissuespecification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made byreissue.

Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to theunderframe construction of a railway car and the invention morespecifically pertains to an improved construction of the center plateassembly.

The prior art includes numerous center plate designs and one arrangementthat is in use includes a body center plate having a dependingprojection which is accommodated in a generally cup-shaped recess in thetruck bolster. Such an assembly has horizontal bearing surfaces whichallows movement between the body center plate and the truck centerplate. Such movement develops Wear and permits shocks to be transmittedthrough the truck assembly to the bearings and the wheels and the rails.The annular flange on the bolster which defines the perimeter of therecess suffers wear and damage from the relative movements of the centerplate elements. The recess traps foreign matter and makes lubrication ofthe center plate assembly diflicult, promoting further wear allowingadditional movement of the body relative to the bolster. Such movementcontributes to an increase in the shock transmittal which may causelading damage. Lubricating pads or greases can not be retained in thepresence of the bearing surfaces of the center plates for any extendedperiod.

An object of the present invention is to provide a centerplate assemblywherein the load supporting surface of the truck center plate is in theform of a male element which is accommodated in a recess in the bodycenter plate and with the mating surfaces of conical formation insuringfitting of the wearing surfaces and virtually eliminating thepossibility of relative horizontal movements of the two elements of thecenter plate assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide an upwardly projectingbearing surface on the truck center plate which is encased bycomplementary undersurface on a body center plate and to providerecesses in the truck center plate for receiving lubricating materialwhich is shielded and protected and as the lubricating material isdisplaced it travels downwardly between the mating surfaces to maintainprolonged lubricating of the center plate assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for detachablysecuring the center plates in assembled relationship to thereby avoidvertical slapping and the transmission of such impacts to the body andto the wheels.

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated andbecome apparent to those skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains as the present disclosure proceeds and upon consideration ofthe annexed drawings taken in conjunction with the following detaileddescription wherein an embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a center plate organizationembodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the elements illustrated in FIG. 1in assembled relationship.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view showing the assembly in relation toone type of center sill and center post and a truck bolster.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on a larger scale and taken on the line 4-4of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view depicting the elements which maintain the centerplates in assembled relationship.

The invention is directed to the structure adjacent the center post of arailway car where it is supported on the truck bolster for relativerotation of the vehicle body with respect to the truck bolster about theaxis of the king pin. A portion of one type of center sill structure isshown at 10 in FIG. 3 and the underframe of the railway vehicle in thisarea is usually reinforced by a center post 11. The center post isprovided with a vertically disposed tubular member 12 for receiving theking pin. In a cener plate assembly in general use a male elementsecured to the center filler casting depends into a cup-shaped recessformed in the truck bolster around the opening for the king pin.

An assembly embodying the present invention includes a body center place14 which may be attached in a suitable manner to the sill structure. Inthe embodiment illustrated in the drawings the body center plate 14 isse cure'd to the center post structure by bolts 16 or it may be rivetedto the underframe of the railway vehicle. The body center plate 14 whenviewed in plan is of rectangular formation as shown in FIG. 6 andopening 17 are provided therethrough for accommodating rivets or bolts.The body center plate is provided with a cavity 18 in the underfacethereof as shown in FIG. 1. An opening 19 at the center of the cavity 18is adapted to receive the lower end portion of the king pin. The roof ofthe cavity is of frusto-conical shape as indicated at 21 (FIG. 4) and acylindrical shaped surface 22 defines the perimeter of the cavity.

The assembly includes a truck center plate 26 which is adapted to besecured to or formed integral with the bolster 27. The upper portion ofthe truck center plate forms a projection in contrast to a recess thathas been employed in the past for receiving the depending male portionon the body center plate. The truck center plate 26 has a verticallydisposed opening 28 for receiving the king pin. The uppermost surface 29(FIG. 1) of the truck center plate 26 is a frusto-conical formationwhich tapers or slopes at an angle with respect to the horizontalcorresponding to the frusto-conical surface 21, which forms the roof ofthe cavity 18. A plurality of recesses 31 are formed in the truck centerplate 26 and these recesses may be generally of cylindrical shape andwith their axes disposed at right angles to the inclined surface 29. Therecesses 31 are spaced from each other and are adapted to receivelubricating material of any suitable type such as graphite elements. Anannular groove 30 is provided in the periphery of the center plate 26.

The center plate assembly includes means for detachably securing thebody center plate and the truck center plate in assembled relation. Suchmeans in the embodiment disclosed takes the form of two rods 36 and 37.The rod 36 is adapted to be inserted in a hole 38 formed in the bodycenter plate 14 and the rod 37 is adapted to be inserted in a hole 39.The holes 38 and 39 are so disposed that a portion of the rod 36projects laterally from the generally cylindrical surface 22 and isaccommodated in the groove 30. A portion of the rod 37 projectslaterally from a diametrically opposite portion of the cylindricalsurface 22, and is accommodated in the groove 30. When the rods 36 and37 are in position as shown in F116. 6, portions of these rods areaccommodated in the groove 30 as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the centerplates are maintained in assembled relationship.

The rods 36 and 37 may be secured in position by a bar 46 which overliesthe outer ends of these rods. The bar 46 is equipped with recesses 47and 48 (FIG. 1) which accommodate the heads of the rods. A stud 51projects from an edge of the body center plate 14 and extends through anopening 52 in the bar 46. A cotter key 53 or the like extends through anopening in the bar 46 and an opening in the stud 51 to detachably retainthe bar in position maintaining the rods in position holding the centerplates in assembled relationship.

When abrasion or wear occurs on the mating conical surfaces, there iscorresponding wear of the lubricating material stored in the recesses31. The released lubricating material tends to travel downwardly alongthe tapered surfaces to provide lubrication of the load supportingsurfaces and reduce wear. The body center plate 14 covers the loadsupporting surfaces and forms a shield preventing access of foreignmatter to these surfaces. The tapered design insures improved fit at allstages of wear and a minimum of relative movements between the centerplates in directions laterally and longitudinally of the center sillstructure.

While the invention has been described with regard to one type of bodycenter plate and one type of truck center plate, it will be appreciatedthat changes may be made in these elements as well as changes in theover-all assembly.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A center plate assembly for a railway vehicle comprising, a bodycenter plate having a cavity in the lower portion thereof open at thelower face of the body center plate, a roof surface within said cavityof frusto-conical formation, a truck center plate having afrusto-conical upper surface complementary to the frusto-conical surfacewithin said cavity, said frusto-conical surfaces forming the loadbearing surfaces between said truck center plate and said body centerplate, said truck center plate having a plurality of recesses in thefrusto-conical upper surface and spaced from each other over saidfrusto-conical surface for receiving lubricating material, said truckcenter plate having an opening therethrough at the apex portion of thefrusto-conical surface thereof vertically aligned with an opening in thebody center plate for receiving a king pin, some of said recesses beingpositioned adjacent said opening for the king pin whereby lubricatingmaterial released from recesses adjacent the apex portion of said truckcenter plate travels downwardly between the frustoconical surfaces.

2. A center plate assembly for a railway vehicle according to claim 1whrein the body center plate is provided with a cylindrical surfacedefining a perimeter of the cavity below the frusto-conical roofsurface, a cylindrical surface on the truck center plate below thefrusto-conical surface thereon fitting within the cylindrical surface onthe body center plate, said truck center plate having an annular groovein the cylindrical surface thereof, and means carried by the body centerplate extending into said groove holding the body center plate inassembled relationship with the truck center plate.

3. A center plate assembly for a railway vehicle com prising, a bodycenter plate having a downwardly directed cavity in the lower portionthereof open at the lower face of the body center plate, a roof surfacewithin said cavity of upwardly converging frusto-conical formation, and[a] an upwardly projecting projecting truck center plate having afrusto-conical upper surface complementary to the frusto-conical surfacewithin said cavity, said truck center plate contacting said body centerplate only along the m0 surface thereof and said frusto-conical surfacesforming the entire load-bearing surfaces between said truck center plateand said body center plate.

4. A center plate assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said truckcenter plate has an opening therethrough vertically aligned with anopening at the apex of the roof surface in said body center plate forreceiving a king pin.

5. A center plate assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said bodycenter plate is provided with a cylindrical surface defining a perimeterof the cavity below the frusto-conical roof surface, a cylindricalsurface on said truck center plate below the frusto-conical surfacethereon fitting within, but in space relationship to, the cylindricalsurface on said body [center] center plate and in spaced relationshiptherewith, said truck center plate having an annular groove in thecylindrical surface thereof, and means carried by said body center plateex tending into said groove holding the body center plate in assembledrelationship with the truck center plate.

References Cited The following reference, cited by the Examiner, are ofrecord in the patented file of this patent or the original patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 154,063 8/1874 McClelland 308136 1,743,436 1/1930Davis, et a1. 308l36 1,895,568 1/1933 Blackhall 308-137 370,718 9/1887Whitney 308-136 486,060 11/1892 Bachc 308l36 472,151 4/1892 Todd et a]308137 1,653,564 12/1927 Hairley 308-137 1,653,564 12/1927 Hawley308-137 CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner F. SUSKO, Assistant Examiner

